Growing up in Philadelphia, if my family wanted to visit a farm or an orchard to pick our own fruits and vegetables, we had to get in the car for a long ride. In more recent years, however, there has been a push to provide more green spaces and more community gardens and orchards that would help provide healthier food options to urban neighborhoods, especially those where food scarcity is a serious issue. Since 2007, the Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) has been working with community-based groups and volunteers to plan and plant orchards in the city.

On Saturday, June 28 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Friends of Philadelphia Orchard Project and Sedgley Woods are holding a fundraiser to support the work POP has been doing. At this family-friendly event, you are invited to come learn how to putt, and drive discs from golfers of Sedgley Woods in East Fairmount Park. Tickets start at $15 and include a free POP pint glass. Children under the age of 12 are free.

The money raised will allow POP to continue its work planting orchards in vacant lots, community gardens, schoolyards as well as other urban locations. So far they have supported 46 orchards and have planted 36 orchards and 697 trees. Their bounty has included apples, asian pears, cherries, figs, peaches, pears, plums, berries, grapes and kiwi.

COLLEGEVILLE, PA — Although Phil Schmidt was in Virginia Beach on Wednesday, wrapping up details on several new barbecue sauces that will soon debut at his restaurant, he said he was looking forward to helping Collegeville Farmers Market open its fourth season on Saturday.

The owner of Phamous Phil’s BBQ & Grille — recently featured on the Food Network — will be in the back section of Da Vinci’s Pub parking lot all day cooking up smoked apple sausage, pulled pork and burgers.

Sandwiches — washed down with Phil’s homemade lemonade — will make for a tasty, easily portable and much less messy lunch than Phil’s trademark ribs as folks stroll through the market.

Barbecue buffs who crave the restaurant’s specialty can always choose to chow down on the “phamously” meaty smoked ribs at Schmidt’s eatery a couple of miles away in Evansburg.

A map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with its neighborhoods labeled. For use primarily in the list of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rob Collins believes he has the formula to reanimate a piece of lost history in the Mexican War Streets.

Collins is owner of the Allegheny City Market, a corner grocer that opened in Pittsburgh’s North Side last month in space formerly occupied by Doug’s Market.

Doug’s went out of business in January because of years of declining sales. Collins, however, envisions a more successful outcome.

“There’s no reason this place shouldn’t be a gold mine,” Collins said recently from behind the counter of his Arch Street shop. “It started off really slow, but it’s picking up. The last two days have been really busy.”

Collins, 46, of Manchester has worked in the grocery business for more than two decades. In 2010, he opened Bryant Street Market in Highland Park, which, he said, “is crushing it.”

On Saturday, April 5, the MOSAIC CLT spent a day in community preparing our gardens for the coming growing season! Neighbors and friends swept, dug, and spread compost and smiles at our two gardens at 423 and 615 Chestnut Street. We’ll have another Garden Day on April 12 from Noon to 3 PM, and again on Wednesday, April 23 from 2 – 3 PM.

Come grow with the MOSAIC Community Land Trust!

Saturday, April 12 – Volunteer Day at the Gardens (423 and 615 Chestnut Street) from 12 – 3PM

Please plan on meeting at the 423 Chestnut Street location prior to start

Wednesday, April 23 – Volunteer Day at the Gardens (423 and 615 Chestnut Street) from 2 – 3PM

Please plan on meeting at the 423 Chestnut Street location prior to start.

Now he’s a first-time solo act, 20 minutes up Route 422 from King of Prussia.

The Johnson & Wales-trained chef has been getting great notices in the early going of the fine-dining Restaurant Racine, a 30-seat BYOB that took over earlier this month for Funky Li’l Kitchen in Pottstown (232 King St., 610-326-7400).

But so do fresh-food aficionados across the United States, according to recent rankings.

Lancaster’s Central Market is ranked the 13th best among 101 farmers’ markets across the nation by The Daily Meal, a website that celebrates all things culinary. It was the only farmers’ market in Pennsylvania to make the list.

The Daily Meal said its ratings factored in the quality, number, and variety of products sold at the markets, and the availability of each vendor’s background information. The website also weighed what it described as “street credibility.”

WILKES-BARRE — Three young men were walking around the Farmers’ Market on Thursday around noon and one of them said, “Wow, there sure are a lot of good smells here.”

An accurate assessment of the opening of the 40th Farmers’ Market on Public Square. But the smells weren’t the only things for the senses to enjoy — there were tastes, bargains, music, sunshine and fun.

“There’s lots of stuff here,” said Debbie Rutkoski of Larksville, who was on her lunch break from her job at Wilkes University. “This is so good for the downtown.

I wish there were more events on Public Square.”

Larry Newman, executive director of the Diamond City Partnership, the key downtown management organization in the city, said there will be more events downtown. He said the Farmers’ Market is the embodiment of a city’s downtown.

LANCASTER, PA — If you order a turkey wrap at the Lemon Street Market this summer, or drink a mojito at Lancaster Brewing Co., the tomato on your sandwich and the mint in your drink might have been grown right outside the restaurants.

Six city restaurants are planting tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, herbs and other fresh produce in containers, hanging baskets and small beds.

They plan to harvest the fresh items and serve them to their customers, to promote healthy eating and local products, in a project sponsored by Lancaster city and a local health organization.

“We’ll use the cucumbers in our salads and the basil in sauces,” said Brent Eshelman, general manager of the Lancaster Brewing Co., which is growing plants, including hot peppers for its wing sauce, outside its new 50-seat patio at Walnut and Plum streets.

August 29, 2012 – Pottstown, PA – MOSAIC Community Land Trust is holding an “Open Garden” on Saturday, September 22 from 12-2 pm. All are invited into the Community Garden at 423 Chestnut Street in Pottstown to participate in a salsa-making workshop, learn how the garden works, and pick vegetables to take home.

“The idea of many people gardening their own plot within a larger space may have seemed unusual last spring when this was just a vacant lot,” said David Jackson, President of MOSAIC’s Board of Trustees. “We want to welcome the community to see the garden in action.”

The Community Garden has plots being tended by Pottstown residents, including groups from Pottstown Middle School, the Olivet Boys and Girls Club, and the Maternity Care Coalition/Early Head Start. Hundreds of pounds of squash, tomatoes, kale, basil and many other vegetables and herbs are being harvested. Members weigh their produce and record it on a sheet; totals will be announced at the end of the season.

Garden guests on September 22 will be able to take home vegetables and herbs from one of MOSAIC’s community plots. There will also be salsa-making demonstrations and tastings, along with pesto made from basil grown in the garden. MOSAIC is now seeking another site in Pottstown to add a garden next year. Interested residents can get on a list for next year’s gardens.

Support for acquisition and construction of the garden on Chestnut Street came from the Pottstown School District, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, National Penn Bank, Genesis Housing Corporation, Susquehanna Bank, Lowes, Borough of Pottstown, Davey Tree Experts, and Andrew Monastra, Esq.

MOSAIC Community Land Trust’s a mission to increase homeownership in Pottstown, develop community gardens, and support the arts. Their office and gallery is at 10 S. Hannover Street. Membership in the CLT is open to all; details can be found at their website at www.mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org or by calling David Jackson at 484-949-4235.

Location of Conshohocken in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — Hey Conshy, how does your garden grow?

Last spring, while the rest of us were procrastinating on that mythical vegetable garden we swore we’d finally get around to planting, those early birds at the Conshohocken Community Garden were busy tilling the organically fertilized soil and getting their cucumber seeds and tomato plants into the earth where they needed to be.

And now they’re reaping the harvest.

Practically everything’s growing like crazy here at 411 E. Elm Street — c’mon, cantaloupes, what’re you waiting for? — on what was for decades an eyesore of a vacant lot.

Pottstown, Pa – Campers at the Pottstown branch of the Olivet Boys and Girls Club are learning about fresh, organic vegetables while keeping their creativity humming in a unique summer program at the MOSAIC Community Garden at 423 Chestnut Street in Pottstown.

About twenty campers, aged 10-12 years old, are participating in the six-week program. One morning each week they walk from the Ricketts Center to the garden, where they spend a couple of hours working on an art project and caring for their organization’s two plots as well as the communal plots around the perimeter of the garden. So far the children have painted benches in whimsical colors, learned how to use binoculars from a birding expert, and painted birdhouses to take home. They have also taken home collard greens and had the chance to sample blueberries and cherry tomatoes while watering the many plants being grown around the perimeter of the garden.

Funding for the program, which was designed by Pottstown resident Hannah Davis, is being provided by Susquehanna Bank through Genesis Housing Corporation. Ms. Davis is teaching the art classes along with Natalie Cyphers.

“We’re grateful to Susquehanna and Judy Memberg of Genesis for making it possible for us to offer programming in our first year of operating the garden,” said David Jackson, president of MOSAIC. “We want young people especially to experience the benefits of gardening and the arts.”

The remaining three workshops will focus on the life cycle of butterflies and making butterfly mobiles, creating mosaic tile stepping-stones for the garden, and making pizzas at the Ricketts Center with ingredients picked fresh from the garden.

The MOSAIC Community Garden is owned and operated by MOSAIC Community Land Trust, which is seeking additional community garden sites for 2013 in order to expand the supply of fresh vegetables and healthy lifestyle choices for Pottstown residents. Support for acquisition and construction of the garden came from the Pottstown School District, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, National Penn Bank, Genesis Housing Corporation, Susquehanna Bank, Lowes, Borough of Pottstown, Davey Tree Experts, and Andrew Monastra, Esq.

MOSAIC Community Land Trust (CLT) has an office and art gallery at 10 S. Hanover Street in downtown Pottstown. They welcome donations in support of their mission to increase homeownership, develop community gardens, and support the arts in Pottstown. Membership in the CLT is open to all; details can be found at their website at www.mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org or by calling David Jackson at 484-949-4235.

Pottstown, PA – I was given a tour of the new Community Garden on Chestnut Street yesterday by Katy Jackson. The garden was formerly a broken down playground full of weeds, drug dealers and hookers. The school district and the borough worked with Mosaic to make this project happen. It is now a source of pride and a stabilizing factor in the neighborhood.

The large space was cleared and has been subdivided into 34 individual plots that people are using to grow their own vegetables. There is also a flower garden near the front entrance, a patio area and a common gathering area in the rear. An amphitheater is being constructed for lectures and programs. There is a shed full of tools, three hoses for water and several adult and child picnic tables. In addition, there is a composter in the rear of the property that will be brought back into working order so that gardeners can all contribute to the communal composter.

There is an educational component to the garden as well as the ability to grow one’s own food. There is art programming at the garden this summer in conjunction with the Olivet Boys & Girls Club/Ricketts Center. 20-25 children are attending. The children have painted the benches the past three Thursday mornings and this Thursday they are gathering at the garden to paint bird houses.

There is special kids pizza garden and a middle school garden.

People are harvesting green beans, lettuce, yellow squash and tomatoes.

This Saturday, July 14th, there is a composting workshop at the garden. Lectures will be given on traditional composting and worm composting. This workshop runs from 9am to 11am. The presenters will be Laura Washington and Scott Winter.

Future plans include selling produce grown from the garden and additional community garden sites being added in Pottstown. There are many volunteers who have put hours of sweat equity into making this garden a huge success. They should all be commended!

Under the sweltering sun at West Reading’s community garden, Lore DeHart offered up her arugula by the bundle.

As it turns out, she’s found, she’s not so big a fan of it after all.

Another thing she’s learned? Her radishes could use some work.

With two plots to tend to, it’s been a trial-and-error process for the retired Exeter School District teacher who, despite growing up on 6 acres of land, counts herself a novice among her fellow gardeners at the South Second Avenue and Chestnut Street garden.

AnnaMae Adams pushed a blue, folding shopping cart up to the produce stand as Friday’s winds ruffled her short gray-and-white hair.

She looked over the potatoes, strawberries and tomatoes with a big smile on her face. Friday was the opening day for Penn Street Market, an outdoor farmers market in downtown Reading, and Adams was just getting started.

On each Friday that the market is open, said Adams, 82, she will be hitting every stand she can.

“Are there any rhubarbs?” she asked the stand’s vendor, Ray Zimmerman.

Pottstown, PA, 4/23/2012 — Mosaic Community Land Trust is holding registration and orientation for new members of its community garden at 423 Chestnut Street on the following Saturdays: April 28, May 5, and May 12 from 9 AM to 12 PM at the garden. On May 5th gardeners will be able to choose the plants they would like in their own plot, and the plants will be delivered to the garden on May 12, which will be a day for planting.

There are plots still available for this season. Plot rates are $25 for households with incomes below $30,000; those with incomes above this level will pay $50. Groups and organizations can plant a plot for a flat $100.00 season fee. In addition to offering families a safe place to grow healthy, organic food, this fee includes the choice of plants, water on-site, the use of Mosaic tools, workshops, and advice from experienced gardeners. Children are welcome and the garden is available for field trips for students.

To apply and register for your plot or to set up a field trip, please contact Sue Repko at 609-658-9043 or srepko@mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org or Mary-Beth Bacallao Lydon at flyeredup8831@gmail.com.

MOSAIC Community Land Trust was established in 2011 and is a registered 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit organization. MOSAIC Community Land Trust provides permanently affordable housing and healthy living choices to people of modest means, and through education and participation, creates a vital community with a focus on arts and culture to stabilize neighborhoods and improve the quality of life in Pottstown.